A pixel array display system may modulate light from an illumination source as a function of input image data for each pixel to produce a display. Providing a desired intensity of illumination with a desired level of spatial uniformity at a desired system cost and complexity may be problematic. For example, a distributed contiguous uniform illumination source with the desired intensity and uniformity may be undesirably costly. Alternatively, using less expensive and less uniform illumination source with a light homogenizing optical element such as a light pipe may also be undesirably costly.